Improvement in wheels for vehicles



E. HALL.

Wheel for Vehicles. No.16l 953. PatentedApriHanaS.

THE GRAPHIC C0.PHOTD.-L|TH.39&41 PARK PIACEJLY.

ELIHU HALL, OF WALLINGFCRD, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN WHEELS FOR VEHICLES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 161,953, dated April13, 1875; application filed February 19, 1875.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ELIHU HALL, ofWallingford, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, haveinvented certain Improvements in Carriage-Wheels, of which the followingis a specitication:

This invention relates to the construction of the wooden hub and spokes,and their cornbination with each other and with a metallic ring designedand adapted to support the spokes outside ot' the wooden hub, ashereinafter more fully set forth, the object being to secure a ijrm,strong, and reliable carriagewheel at a reasonable cost.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the axis of the hub of thecentral portion of a carriage-wheel constructed according to myinvention. Fig. 2 is a section transverse to the axis of the hub, andnearly through the middle thereof, showing'the construction of thecentral portion of a fourteen-spoke carriagewheel according to myinvention, the spokes not being shown in section. Fig. 3 is a similarsection to Fig. 2, showing the construction according to my invention ofthe central portion of a carriage-wheel having sixteen spokes.

A is the wooden hub, which is constructed in the manner ordinarilypracticed when the wooden hub is intended to be surrounded in the middlewith an iron ring, which has mortises to receive the spokes, with theexception that, instead ot' being provided with mortises to receive theinner ends of the spokes, or provided with a groove in its periphery forthat purpose, it is provided with angular notches or recesses to receiveclusters ot' the spokes, the ends of the hub being connected by the webor portions c, which are regarded as of sufcient proportionate size togive the requisite strength. B is a metal ring, preferably inade ofmalleable iron, which surrounds the middle of the wooden hub, and isprovided with a mortise through it for each spoke.

-To give the best results, these niortises should be tapered upon allsides, so as to slightly compress the spokes when they are driven intoplace. It is also, for the same reason and purpose, preferable that therecesses in the wooden hub to receive the spokes C shall be broader inthe direction of the length ot' the hub at the outside, next to themetallic ring, than in the inner portion ot' the hub. The spokes shouldbe tapered accordingl y.

It will be observed that the inner portion of those spokes which arenext to the web c is cut away upon the side next to the said web to giveroom for it; but on the other side they are simply tapered to litagainst the other spokes, and in the same manner that the spokes not incontact with the webs a are tapered on both sides.

This invention has the advantage over the tenoned spoke and mortised hubused in coinbination with the mortised metallic ring above described,that the inner ends of most of the spokes are, by this construction, aI-lowed to be more nearly their full size, there byavoiding the tendencyto break oi' at the shoulder to which tenoned spokes are exposed; and,also, that the clusters wedge upon each other as they are confined andheld inward by the tire, and thus more eft'ectually prevent each otherfrom Working loose', and it is found by experiment that the Webs a arequite sufficient to give the requisite strength to that portion ot thehub.

This construction also has the advantage over a mortised ring andgrooved hub, that the spokes are allowed to extend farther inward in thehub, and, binding upon each other as they do, give a better resistanceto a strain thrown upon any one spoke of the wheel; and, also, by soextending farther into the hub, give a better resistance to any strainlaterally upon the wheel.

This mode ot' introducing the spokes into the hub in clusters, incombination with the webs c, instead of by mortise 'and tenon, asformerly practiced, may also, perhaps, be usefully employed where themortised ring B is not used.

Two webs, a, placed opposite each other, instead of four on each hub,maybe used with satisfactory results in most cases; but I prefer to usefour of these webs in each hub, for

the reason that when only two are used, the

very great lateral strain upon the wheel on webs a, clusters of spokesG, and mortise-ring the open sides of the hub has very great lever- B,substantially as and for the purpose set age on the webs. forth. u

I claim as my inventioul. The combination of the Wooden hub A, ELIHUHALL webs a, and clusters of spokes C, substantially Witnesses: as undfor the purpose set forth. E. S. PARMELEE,

2. The combination of the Wooden hub A, E. H. IVES.

